Autumn colors to peak during biggest Walktober Weekend

Oct. 12, 2017

Walktober hits its stride this weekend with more than 60 adventures throughout The Last Green Valley. And it’s all happening as the national heritage corridor begins to hit its peak for fall foliage. The Walktober events will be engaging and fun and the scenery spectacular.

Walktober is in its 27th year and is a program of The Last Green Valley, Inc., the non-profit charged with promoting and advocating for the national heritage corridor’s unique resources.

“This is why people come from all over the world to New England in the fall,” said Lois Bruinooge, Executive Director of TLGV. “The spectacular foliage we experience year after year is a rarity in many places and Walktober helps people take full advantage of our natural resources. Walktober is the best way to get out in The Last Green Valley and explore all its corners with experienced and passionate volunteers and take in fall at its best.”

Here is a small sampling of the Walktober adventures coming Oct. 13-16:

Walktober: Hike in the Spring Hill Tract of the UConn Forest, Oct. 14, 9-11 a.m., 337 Chaffeville Rd., Mansfield, CT. No building at this address; park in the turnout at the intersection of Chaffeeville & Bousa Rds. 860-486-1076. Pre-registration required at http://s.uconn.edu/ucforesthike, limited to 25 hikers. UConn Associate Extension Professor and UConn Forest Steward Tom Worthley will guide a hike in the Spring Hill Tract of the UConn Forest. You'll learn about forest succession, forest management and current forestry research at UConn. Children 12 and older only.

Walktober: The River, Rail, Mills & Trails, Oct. 14, 10-11:30 a.m., 55 Bridge St., Willimantic, CT. Drive in about 0.5 miles on the gravel road beside the tracks to the walk greeter. 860-617-3308. Walk the new rail trail to the Railroad Museum, talking and learning about railroad history and current service, and the river that powered the mills. Optional: tour the museum or take a train ride for an additional small cost that is well worth it.

Walktober: Visit the Huguenot Steamer No. 1 Fire Station Museum, Oct. 14, 10 a.m. - noon, 655 Main St., N. Oxford MA. Silsby Steamer, Jeffers Handtub, Colonel DeWitt, firetruck, collections and stories galore are to be discovered in this museum. Great for kids of all ages, and ready for you to stop in and visit during Walktober.

Walktober: Old Home Day on the Canterbury Green, Oct. 14, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., 6 S. Canterbury Rd., Canterbury, CT. Handicapped parking on-site. All others please park at Dr. Helen Baldwin Middle School, 45 Westminster Rd. (Rte. 14). Free shuttle bus running thru the day. 860-546-9346. Join us for Old Home Day - Canterbury’s favorite way to welcome fall! Old Home Day features demonstrations of traditional crafts and trades, live music, cute & friendly animal, reenactors, great food, exhibits inside the 19th century one-room Green District schoolhouse, children’s activities, and more! Admission and parking are always free, and the event goes rain or shine.

Walktober: Roseland Cottage Fine Arts & Crafts Festival, Oct. 14 and 15, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Roseland Cottage, 556 Rte. 169, Woodstock, CT. 617-994-5914. One of the leading juried fine arts and crafts shows in New England. This 2-day event features hundreds of artisans and their wares: jewelry, woodworking, pottery, glass, toys, paintings, clothing, metalwork, and much more. Visitors, many of whom return year after year, enjoy live music, a food court, and first floor tours of Roseland Cottage.

860-428-0968. See and walk one of the Wyndham Land Trust's newest and largest preserves. There is a fabulous scenic vista along the walk. No dogs please.

Walktober: Atwood Farm Cider Pressing the 19th Century Way, Oct. 14, 2-4 p.m., Atwood Farm, 624 Wormwood Hill Rd., Mansfield Center, CT. 860-429-9023. Come with the family as we gather apples in the orchard and take them to the cider press to make cider for the winter months. Rain or shine. For more information, email [email protected] or call the office.

Walktober: Wells Woods - Columbia's Ghost Town, Oct. 15, 1-3 p.m., rain date: Oct. 22, 1-3 p.m., 32 Wells Woods Rd., Columbia CT. Parking on right side of road only. Pre-registration required, email [email protected] or call 860-228-2849. Learn about a village once home to over a dozen families but abandoned since the 1930's. We'll visit old homestead and mill sites, a family cemetery, and the village school site, all the while hearing stories of those who settled here in the 1820's and left behind so much evidence of the hard lives they led.

Walktober: This Was His Forest, Oct. 15, 1:30-3:30 p.m., Myers Pond Forest, 159 Kinney Hollow Rd., Union, CT. 860-377-0117. Learn about sustainable forestry, history of Union, and George H. Myers, the man behind the Yale-Myers Forest on this 2-hour tour of the Hull Forestlands Myers Pond Forest, the jewel of his properties.

860-886-1776. Over the past few years there have been several public art projects in the village of Greeneville. It started with a fire hydrant painting competition that sought to get all of us to take ownership of our surroundings while bringing beauty and recognition to a somewhat hidden side of the City of Norwich. This continued for 2 summers and over 40 hydrants were painted with magical creatures and beautiful scenes. As that second summer's competition was wrapping up, a community mural painting project was ramping up. It brought together community members, young and old, to beautify the side of a building that had been scared by grafitti. This building sits on the corner of the main road and the bridge over the Shetucket River. The mural beautifully depicts natural resources and historic structures in our village. This tour is led by Zechariah Stover, Vice Chair of the Greeneville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, and will start at the southern most tip of the village, right in front of the Welcome to Greeneville sign!

Walktober: Anti-Bullying Program, Oct. 16, 6-7 p.m., Pearle L. Crawford Library, 40 Schofield Ave., Dudley, MA. 508-949-8021. Families are welcome to attend this serious subject at our bullying program, especially for grades 4, 5, 6. Parents are encouraged to attend with young adults. It is a great way to start the discussions.

The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is the last stretch of dark night sky in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington, D.C. The Last Green Valley, Inc. works for you in the National Heritage Corridor. Together we can care for it, enjoy it and pass it on! To learn more about the organization, visit thelastgreenvalley.org.

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